ToDue Allyson Jayne Rebecca Thomas Sam Harper Matthew Witbeck Somer Hand
Executive Summary Project Description: ToDue is a personal assistant app that allows the user to better organize their lives by making various types of task lists and calendar events that can be shared with multiple people across various platforms. The app also features personalization functions for better user experience Reason for Testing: Evaluate competitor applications, identify usability issues that can be improved, and implement new features
Executive Summary Methods ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Personas Competitor Analysis Context Analysis Task Analysis Heuristic Evaluation Quantitative Testing Design Thinking Prototyping
Executive Summary Results
Recommendations
Effectiveness and efficiency issues due to unclear navigation
Provide clearly marked exits and limit depth of app
Unable to locate functions due to unclear icons
Use familiar icons for an intuitive interface
Lacking personalization options
Add personalization options including theme and background easily accessible in settings
Introduction
Project Description
ToDue is a personal assistant app allowing users to organize their lives by making shopping/task lists and calendar events that can be shared with individuals/groups. The app also features personalization functions for better user experience
ToDue: User Goals
Create Lists
Create Calendar Events
Share With Other Users
Personalize Appearance
ToDue: Data Collection/Feedback ● List feature ○ ○ ○ ○
Create to-do lists, shopping lists, checklists Subtasks to better track task completion with progress bar View completed tasks and who completed them Ability to add due dates for tasks
● Calendar feature ○ ○ ○
Keep track of important events and deadlines Day, week, month views Color coding for type of event
● Folders to organize lists and events ○
By category or group (ex: family or work folder)
ToDue: Personalization ● Choose your theme ○
Background, color scheme, font size, color coding, etc.
● Avatar or profile picture ● Contact list within the app for easy sharing with individual users and groups ○ ○ ○
Most recent contacts Contact groups (ex: family) All contacts
● Notification options ○ ○
Time, priority levels, email vs. phone notification Shared list notifications, feedback on shared items
ToDue: Recommendations ● Important Events/ Due Dates ○
Notification reminders of approaching due dates and events
● Progress Updates ○
If little progress has been made on a task, pop up reminder of current status to encourage working on the task
● Provide a list of frequent contacts and groups to share with
Methods
Personas
Representation of possible user profiles used to evaluate user roles and design solutions
Based on Theoretical Assumptions
Persona 1 - Sandra Description Sandra is a middle-class suburban mom in her late 30’s and married with four kids. She is a stay at home mom who primarily spends time taking care of her kids and driving them to their various activities. She runs most of the errands for the household. Occasionally her husband helps out but often ends up buying the wrong item or forgetting the kids’ activities.
Goals ●
Background ● ● ●
Gender: Female Age: 30-45 Occupation: Stay at home mom
● ●
She wants to become more organized and find an efficient way to share duties and lists with people across multiple platforms She wants to better coordinate with husband. She wants to be able to track progress on household projects
Motivations ● ●
●
One of the children was left at dance rehearsal for 2 hours with no ride home Not everyone she would like to share notes with has an iphone so she would like a multi-platform app. Would like to have more free time for herself or to spend with her kids, but can only have that if she completes all of her tasks efficiently and organizes her schedule well.
Challenges ●
●
●
Currently she uses basic apps that come preinstalled on her iPhone such as Notes and Calendar for organization and doesn’t have all of her household info in one app. With using these apps she can’t share and coordinate with other soccer moms, especially those without iPhones. She is inefficient and ineffective at accomplishing her goals and tasks because she wastes time trying to coordinate with so many people across multiple apps and keeping track of all of her ongoing lists
Persona 2 - Richard Description Richard is the CEO of a medical device company and married with 2 kids in college. He has an incredibly busy schedule meeting with customers, board members, employees, etc. He is generally organized but finds it difficult to keep track of everything going on in his professional life. He has an assistant that he has to coordinate with but has missed meetings before because he didn’t have access to his assistant’s planner and schedule.
Goals ●
Background ● ● ●
Gender: Male Age: 50 Occupation: CEO
●
●
He wants to have access to and control over his schedule and be able to share it with other people (assistant, people he is meeting with) He wants to be able to delegate tasks and manage projects and keep track of all of them in one centralized location He wants to be able to coordinate with his wife about scheduling and household tasks
Motivations ●
●
●
Time is money for Richard, he doesn’t have time to waste getting organized or tracking down his assistant He has missed meetings before, which damages both his and his company’s reputation He could be growing his company by scheduling more meetings if he was more organized.
Challenges ●
●
●
Currently he uses email to schedule meetings as well as to manage projects and delegate tasks outside of meetings, but wants all of that information centralized and wants a better way to schedule meetings. With email it is easy for him to lose track of meetings and projects and thereby get behind on work He is inefficient and ineffective at accomplishing his goals and tasks because he wastes time trying to stay organized and coordinate with people.
Competitor Analysis
Identifies the extent to which current systems meet user needs and potential usability problems
Competitor Analysis Errands To-Do List
Wunderlist
Planner Pro
Competitor Analysis: Home Page Errands To-Do List
Unclear homepage. No indication that other pages available with swipe
Wunderlist
Easy access to lists and folders
Planner Pro
Easy calendar access and easy access to all other app features
Competitor Analysis: Create a List Errands To-Do List
Hard to find folders to categorize lists into; when creating list, it is not clear where items can be added when creating the list
Wunderlist
Very simple and easy to find ‘create a list’ button on homescreen; items are easy to check off as they’re completed
Planner Pro
No list option in app but there is a ‘notes’ feature; cannot make list into checklist
Competitor Analysis: Sharing Errands To-Do List
Hard to find this sharing icon in the create a list feature; not a standard sharing icon
Wunderlist
Very easily to see this is a sharing button and easy to find on page with list
Planner Pro
The sharing option was only available in the android app (not in the iOS one)
Competitor Analysis: Create Calendar Event Errands To-Do List
Easy to find calendar from home page but adding a calendar event looks exactly the same as creating a list; setting a date and time is more complicated than it need be
Wunderlist
No visible calendar feature; can set a due date and time for a reminder that will be listed in the ‘week’ folder on the home page
Planner Pro
Visible calendar feature with colored dots (for different calendars) on days with events; can view events in different formats (day, week, month); easy to set up a new one
Competitor Analysis: Personalization Errands To-Do List
Offers range of background and text colors as well as fonts to personalize the appearance; not user friendly
Wunderlist
Offers ability to change the background/theme but only to a few limited preset options
Planner Pro
No appearance personalization options; includes options to personalize things like notifications
Competitor Analysis: Summary Errand To-Do List Home Page Create a List Sharing Create Calendar Event Personalization
Wunderlist
Planner Pro
Context Analysis
Identify user requirements and address usability issues and how they need to be tested through understanding the context of use
Context Analysis: Evaluate Category
Factor
Description
Usability Issue?
How to Test
Task
Task name
Create shared list, Create calendar event, Personalize background/theme
Yes, Evaluate
Heuristic Evaluation
Task
Task goal/output
Personalize background/theme
Yes, Evaluate
Design Thinking
Task
Task Duration
Create shared list, Create calendar event
Yes, Evaluate
Time on Task
Context Analysis: Monitor Category
Factor
Description
Usability Issue?
How to Test
Experience/Knowledge
Experience with similar systems or products
Most users will have basic experience using simple built-in applications on their phone (calendar, notes, etc.)
Yes, Monitor
Survey prior to user testing
Experience/Knowledge
Task knowledge
Most users will have knowledge of making lists, using calendars, and sharing across apps
Yes, Monitor
Survey prior to user testing
Context Analysis: Control Category
Factor
Description
Usability Issue?
How to Test
User
User Role
Organize their life by making various types of task lists and calendar events that can be shared with multiple people across various platforms
Yes, Control
Survey prior to testing
Experience/ Knowledge
Level of training
No formal training, but most are regular smartphone users
Yes, Control
Survey prior to testing
Task Analysis
Specify task structure and identify possible errors and task execution time
Task Analysis ● Create a shared list ● Create a calendar event ● Personalize background/theme
Task Analysis #1: Create a Shared List
Task Analysis #2: Create Calendar Event
Task Analysis #3: Personalize Theme
Evaluative Testing
Methods ● Heuristic Evaluation ● Quantitative User Testing ○ Effectiveness, Efficiency, Errors, Satisfaction
● Design Thinking
Heuristic Evaluation
Review product interface and compare it against usability principles to identify potential usability issues
Heuristic Evaluation: Definitions ● ● ● ●
Effectiveness: Fit for purpose Efficiency: Speed of performance Satisfaction: Pleasant to use User Control and Freedom: Users often choose system functions by mistake + will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo + redo. Not a lot of preset restriction on settings.
● Aesthetics: Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information + diminishes their relative visibility.
● Social Engagement: Ability to interact + engage with other users and see their activity.
Heuristic Evaluation: Results
Heuristic Evaluation: Results
Heuristic Evaluation: Insights ● Finding certain functions was confusing especially on Errands To-Do List due to unclear icons and hidden features ● Easy to get lost in Errands To-Do due to confusing navigation ● Social engagement ability was fairly low across all apps ● Personalization features were not easy to find and had very limited options on all apps
Heuristic Evaluation: Takeaways For Quantitative testing: ● Create a shared list ○
Wunderlist Errands-To-Do List
● Create a calendar event ○
Planner Pro Errands-To-Do List
Quantitative User Testing
Compare existing products in relation to product efficiency, errors, effectiveness, and satisfaction
Quantitative User Testing: Method Participants ● ● ● ●
6 Females; 5 Males; Ages 21-60 All regular smartphone users Most regularly use a Notes or Calendar App Only 1 regularly uses a Personal Assistant App (Wunderlist)
Materials ● ● ● ●
Survey Instructions with Scenarios (See Appendix) Apps: Errands To-Do List, Wunderlist, Planner Pro Satisfaction Rating Scale
Quantitative User Testing: Method Procedure: Each user began with a pre-testing survey. They then completed the “Create a shared list” task on Errands To-Do List and Wunderlist, each followed by a satisfaction rating scale. They then completed the “Create a Calendar Event” on Planner Pro and Errands To-Do List, each followed by a satisfaction rating scale.
Variables:
Effectiveness (Task Completion) Number of Errors Efficiency (Time on Task) Satisfaction (1-6 Rating Scale)
Quantitative User Testing: Results
Quantitative User Testing: Summary Create Shared List: Wunderlist vs. Errands To-Do List ● Effectiveness ○ ○
All users completed task in Wunderlist No users could find sharing option in Errands To-Do List
● User completed task in Wunderlist significantly faster, with significantly fewer errors, and reported significantly higher satisfaction. Create Calendar Event: Planner Pro vs. Errands To-Do List ● No significant difference in efficiency or number of errors, but users reported significantly higher satisfaction for the task in Planner Pro.
Qualitative Test: Design Thinking
Human-centered approach to upgrade and prototype by integrating user needs within constraints
Qualitative Test: Method Participants: 2 male; 2 female Materials: Post It Notes, Pens, Markers, Blank Paper, Balloons Procedure: Participants were presented a short description of Sandra (Persona 1) and asked to brainstorm ideas for personalizing the background and theme of a personal assistant phone app. Following brainstorming, participants engaged in several alternating feedback and sketching phases. Data Collected: Brainstorming ideas and sketches
Qualitative Test: Results ● Pattern and personal photo background options ● Color coding calendars and tasks
● Haptic, visual, and audio alert options ● Search theme and background categories
Evaluative Results Overview ● Planner Pro provided best calendar function and layout ● Wunderlist provided best list function and layout ○
Navigation errors due to unclear icons
● No apps had sufficient personalization functions ● Errands To-Do List had best integration of list and calendar features but lacked efficiency and intuitive design ○
Had the most errors due to hidden features and unclear icons
Redesign
Recommendations
= Heuristic Evaluation
Usability Problem
Recommendation
1. Unclear navigation
Provide clearly marked exits. Limit depth of app
2. Unable to locate sharing function
3. Unclear icons
4. Lack of personalization options
= Quantitative
Severity Rating
Make clear sharing icon
Use familiar icons for an intuitive interface Add personalization options including theme and background easily accessible in settings
Rating scale (1-5) =
= Design Thinking
Redesign ● Implement carousel navigation ● Limit depth of app ● Standard/familiar icons for creating lists, adding tasks, sharing ● Personalization option to change the background and theme
Prototype Method: ● Create a Mid Fidelity clickable mockup ● Integrate data and conclusions from user testing ● Combine list feature of Wunderlist and calendar feature of Planner Pro Materials: ● Photoshop; Pop App; Wunderlist; Planner Pro
Prototype: Carousel Navigation
Usability Problem #1
Prototype: Change Calendar View
Usability Problem #1
Prototype: Create Calendar Event
Usability Problem #1 & #3
Prototype: Create New List
Usability Problem #1 & #3
Prototype: View List
Usability Problem #1
Prototype: Sharing
Usability Problem #2 & #3
Prototype: Menu & Personalization
Usability Problem #4
Prototype: Alerts
Usability Problem #1
Prototype: Search
Usability Problem #1
Appendix
Heuristic Evaluation: Wunderlist
Heuristic Evaluation: Errands-To-Do List
Heuristic Evaluation: Planner Pro
Quantitative User Testing: Survey
Post-Task Satisfaction Rating
Quantitative User Testing: Scenario Scripts
Quantitative User Testing: Participants ● N=11 Participants ● Sex ○
N=6 Female; N=5 Male
● Age ○
21-27 (N=7); 55-60 (N=4)
● All regular smartphone users ○
IOS Users (N=8); Android Users (N=3)
● N=1 Regularly uses a Personal Assistant App (Wunderlist) ● N=9 Regularly use Notes app ○
IOS Notes (N=7), Google Keep, Reminders, Snote
● N=6 Regularly use Calendar app ○
IOS Calendar, Google Calendar, iCal, Calendar
Quantitative User Testing: Means
Quantitative User Testing: Raw Data Survey
Participant
Age
Gender
Regular smartphone use?
Phone Operating System
Regularly use of Calendar Regular use of Personal Assistant on phone? If yes, what Regularly make lists or notes on App? If yes, what application? application? phone? If yes, what application?
yes/no
IOS Android Windows
yes/no + Application
M/F 1 2 3 4
25 M 24 F 23 F 27 M
yes/no + Application
yes/no + Application
yes
Android
No
No
Yes, SNote- samsung note taking app, OneNote
Yes
IOS
No
No
Yes, IOS notes
Yes
IOS
No
Yes, IOS Calendar
Yes, IOS notes
Yes
iOS
no
no
Yes, iOS notes
5
55 F
yes
iOS
no
yes, calendar
Yes, iOS notes
6
60 M
yes
Android
no
yes, calendar
yes, google keep
yes
iOS
no
google calendar
wunderlist, notes
7
56 F
8
56 M
yes
iOS
no
iCal
notes
9
21 M
yes
Android
no
no
no
10
23 F
Yes
iOS
No
Yes, IOS Calendar
Yes, iOS notes, reminders
11
23 F
Yes
iOS
No
No
No
Quantitative User Testing: Raw Data Create Shared List Wunderlist Order of Testing Effectiveness Errors
Participant
Complete Task yes/no
1 or 2
Errands To-Do List
Efficiency Time on Task (seconds)
# errors
Order of Testing
Satisfaction 1-6
1 or 2
Effectiveness Complete Task yes/no
Errors
Efficiency Time on Task (seconds)
# errors
Satisfaction 1-6
1
1
yes
1
51
5
2 Yes, No sharing
4
69
4
2
1
yes
0
77
3
2 Yes, No sharing
4
83
2
3
1
yes
2
68
4
2 Yes, No sharing
1
54
1
4
2
yes
2
81
4
1 Yes, No sharing
12
293
1
5
2
yes
1
116
5
1 Yes, No sharing
20
362
1
6
2
yes
0
94
4
1 yes, no sharing
9
191
1
7
1
yes
4
54
2
2 yes, no sharing
3
71
2
8
1
yes
2
49
6
2 yes, no sharing
9
109
1
9
2
yes
1
35
4
1 yes, no sharing
11
321
1
10
1
yes
3
66
5
2 yes, no sharing
16
189
2
11
2
yes
2
89
5
1 yes, no sharing
21
323
2
Quantitative User Testing: Raw Data Create Calendar Event Planner Pro Order of Testing Effectiveness Errors
Participant
Complete Task yes/no
1 or 2
Errands To-Do List
Efficiency Time on Task (seconds)
# errors
Order of Testing
Satisfaction 1-6
Effectiveness Complete Task yes/no
1 or 2
Errors
Efficiency
Satisfaction
Time on Task (seconds)
# errors
1-6
1
1
Yes
0
19
5
2
Yes
1
44
4
2
1
yes
0
40
5
2
yes
1
39
3
3
1
yes
1
40
5
2
yes
2
41
2
4
2
yes
2
81
5
1
yes (forgot to set time on date)
2
40
5
5
2
yes
1
62
4
1
yes
2
94
5
6
2
yes
0
36
5
1
yes
0
60
4
7
2
yes
4
105
4
1
yes
0
30
4
8
2
yes
0
26
6
1
yes
0
35
5
9
1
yes
0
32
5
2
yes
0
23
5
10
1
yes
0
44
5
2
yes
1
39
4
11
2
yes
0
41
5
1
yes
1
46
5
Quantitative User Testing: Analysis Output
Qualitative User Testing: Design Thinking Script: ●
“Sandra is a busy stay at home soccer mom in her late 30s. She uses a personal assistant app to organize her life and needs to be able to personalize the background and theme of the app.”
Procedure: ● ● ● ● ● ●
3 min: Brainstorming 2 min: Pair up for feedback 4 min: Sketch 2-3 best ideas based on feedback 2 min: Feedback on sketches 3 min: Pick your best sketch based on feedback and improve it 2 min: Final Feedback (What worked?, What could be improved?, Questions, Ideas)
Materials: ●
Post It Notes, Pens, Markers, Blank Paper, Balloons